OKLAHOMA CITY — The voice was recognizable, and so was the speaker's foul mood, even if the precise words were not.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich blistered his team in the aftermath of Sunday's tepid 106-97 loss to Oklahoma City in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

The tirade was a Popovich special, a six-to-eight minute harangue loud enough to be audible in the hallway outside the locker room at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

If Tony Parker bore the brunt of Popovich's wrath, the All-Star point guard was not surprised.

“I take a lot of responsibility,” Parker said. “That's my job on this team, to get everything going. That's why I took it hard last night, because I felt like I didn't play well.”

Parker's teammates refused to let him shoulder all the blame for the Spurs' first loss in the series, which drew the Thunder to 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Tuesday night in OKC.

The fact remains: Parker was not his All-Star self in Game 3.

Parker finished with nine points and shot 30.8 percent — both personal lows in these playoffs, excluding Game 5 against Portland when he strained a hamstring after 10 minutes. He had as many assists as turnovers (four).

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Game 4: Spurs' keys to victory

Put the 'energy' in Chesapeake Energy: A quick glance at the Game 3 box score reveals a team that played with more urgency and aggression than the other. The Thunder won the rebounding battle 52-36, had 10 blocks and seven steals, and shot 31 free throws.

The return of Serge Ibaka certainly gave OKC an emotional lift, one the Spurs couldn't seem to match.

"I think the difference was intensity, not who played and who didn't," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said.

The Spurs must approach Game 4 with more fire and focus if they aim to grab a game on the Thunder's court.

Maximize non-Serge time: With Ibaka — a player Gregg Popovich calls "the best defensive player in the league" — back in the fold, scoring is going to be more difficult for the Spurs than it was in Games 1 and 2.

As such, it becomes imperative for the Spurs to take advantage of the stretches when Ibaka is on the bench and the paint becomes open for business again.

Much of the onus falls on the reserves, who provided little outside of Ginobili's 23 points in Game 3.

Keep your hands to yourself: A large part of OKC's game involves getting to the foul line. In the first two games of the series, the Spurs were successful in keeping the Thunder from getting there.

In Game 3, the Thunder's 31 free-throw attempts marked the sixth time this postseason they have topped 30. OKC shot 22 foul shots in the third quarter to the Spurs' zero, a prime reason the Thunder were able to extend their lead despite four field goals in the frame.

There's not much the Spurs can do about officiating, but by being more locked in on defense — and not caught out of position so much — they can minimize OKC's trips to the charity stripe.

Jeff McDonald

“He's our best player,” Popovich said Saturday of Parker, who is averaging 18.4 points and 5.3 assists in the playoffs. “He's got to play better.”

Parker's Game 3 struggles were made more puzzling by an OKC lineup change that seemed to play into his hands.

In a bid to get more offense on the floor, Thunder coach Scott Brooks benched shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha — a bigger defender who had been matched with Parker to start the series — in favor of Reggie Jackson.

Parker could not take advantage of the switch, in part because — for the first time in the series — shot-blocking superstar Serge Ibaka was around to clean up OKC's mistakes at the rim.

Jackson, in fact, outplayed Parker with 15 points and five assists.

After Sunday's game, Parker used some version of the phrase “I have to play better” eight times in a three-minute interview. By Monday morning, his tune had not changed.

“I can only repeat myself,” Parker said. “I have to play better.”

Parker wasn't the only Spurs player who spent Game 3 in a funk.

Whether due to the inspirational return of Ibaka — who previously had been ruled out for the playoffs with a left calf injury — or the usual travails that come with playing on the road in the playoffs, the Spurs had trouble equaling the Thunder's emotion and energy.

They were pummeled on the glass by a 52-36 margin, managed 40 points in the paint — 20 less than they had been averaging — and sent OKC to the foul line 31 times.

A day later, the Spurs still could not explain how they had come out so flat in a game that could have all but guaranteed a return trip to the NBA Finals.

Whether it is his head or his tight left hamstring, Parker recognizes something must change with him before Game 4.

He has been here before. Sometimes, Parker has been able to pull himself out of a tailspin after a bad playoff game. Other times, he has been unable to prevent another crash.

In last season's Western Conference finals against Memphis, Parker followed a 6-for-20 Game 2 with a pair of masterpieces —26 points in Game 3 and 37 in the deciding Game 4.

In the NBA Finals against Miami, Parker followed a 6-for-23 Game 6 with a 3-for-12 Game 7.

Parker sums up his job description this way: “Just attacking, try to create stuff, make stuff happen, make plays.”

Ginobili, for one, expects a positive response from Parker.

“After so many years, so many big games, we are beyond that point that somebody's got to come and tell you something,” Ginobili said. “He's a super pro. He's had an unbelievable season, so he's going to bounce back.”

The Spurs, and Parker, certainly hope so. Neither he — nor Popovich — feels much like having to repeat himself again after Game 4.